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The Laredo College Opera Workshop returns with a musical comedy that will fill the Laredo College Guadalupe and Lilia Martinez Fine Arts Center with laughter. The laughter will continue with a slight twist; this play will premiere on the screens of the location where it was filmed.
Due to the current pandemic, our Visual and Performing Arts Department has generated unique approaches to bring Laredoans entertainment in a fun and safe way, such as the first-ever drive-in musical. This year, their minds have merged to innovate yet again, bringing a theatrical play that will premiere as a movie.
Five actors and a complete production team came together virtually to write, direct and produce a story with Laredoans in mind. In the span of around two weeks, LC theatre students wrote about four individuals who signed up for a popular matchmaking service called Rent-A-Yenta.
Rent-A-Yenta is a story about a matchmaker employee, Ms. Valentine, who pairs four individuals in an effort to find their better half. Unfortunately, when she initially pairs the couples, one of the men convinces her to pair him with someone else. Against her better judgment, Ms. Valentine changes the arrangement of the couples who go on what come to be disastrous blind dates. Finally, a surprising ending arises that sets everything straight.
The fun twist of events will make the public laugh, sing along and even dance to the fantastic selection of melodies that attendees will enjoy during this premiere. As mentioned by Professor of Voice Dr. Joseph Crabtree, they found the most appropriate songs for the story, taking characters in specific directions. Beethoven’s Aria is one of the German lyrics that had to be translated into English and rewritten to be incorporated with the script.
After the musical was complete, the actors were filmed individually to make the script come to life. Our production department outdid themselves in the editing process, making the film appear as though the actors are in the same location.
Instead of performing live, the play will premiere on the screen of the LC MFA theatre. This unique process was ideal for providing the community with a particular form of entertainment that defies the current pandemic’s challenges.
Theatre Director William Hauserman said, “This was a very interesting and exciting project as it helps to prepare the students for television and film work, rather than the live stage format we normally use.”
Many of the actors who formed part of the Opera Musical Theatre course at LC and have appeared in previous Opera Workshops. The experience they have obtained while at our institution has helped develop and polish their theatrical skills.
Bring your date to the MFA theatre on July 15 at 7 p.m. to witness this unique performance. Ticket entrance is only $5, and all funds raised will be geared towards student scholarships in future productions. For more information, contact us at (956)721-5334.
